- Date
- April 8, 2006, 14:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Venice, FL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N339DLLinwood R. Lawrence Van's Aircraft RV-9A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 3, 2006
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Tampa, Florida
- Case key
- 63545
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's improper landing flare/touchdown which resulted in a hard landing and damage to the airplane.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot stated that his approach speed on final approach to land was too fast, and the touchdown point was beyond the optimum touchdown point. He said he inappropriately had a nose low attitude, and the nose gear rather than the main gear hit the runway with a thump. He then executed a go-around, and the second approach was better. He flared and landed the airplane on the main landing gear, and as nose was lowered, there was a scraping sound. After stopping the airplane the pilot said he noted that the airplane had incurred damage. Prior to the accident there had been no mechanical failures or malfunctions of the airplane or any of its systems.
Factual narrative
On April 8, 2006, about 1400 eastern daylight time, a experimental amateur-built David W. Lawrence, model Van's Aircraft RV-9A airplane, N339DL, registered to and operated by David Lawrence, as a Title 14 CFR Part 91 flight, made a hard landing at Venice, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The commercial-rated pilot and passenger were not injured, and the airplane incurred substantial damage. The flight originated in Punta Gorda, Florida, the same day, about 1330.
The pilot stated that his approach speed on final approach to land was too fast, and the touch down point was beyond the optimum touchdown point. He said he inappropriately had a nose low attitude, and the nose gear rather than the main gear hit the runway with a thump. He then executed a go-around, and the second approach was better. He flared and landed the airplane on the main landing gear, and as nose was lowered, there was a scraping sound. After stopping the airplane the pilot said he noted that the airplane had incurred damage. Prior to the accident there had been no mechanical failures or malfunctions of the airplane or any of its systems.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N339DL
- Reported as
- Linwood R. Lawrence Van's Aircraft RV-9A
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 90206
- Airframe hours
- 39
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D1A, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- David R. Lawrence
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- PGD · Punta Gorda, FL
- Destination
- VNC · Venice, FL
- Airport
- VNC · Venice Municipal, runway 22, 5,000 × 150 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 63
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2
- Last flight review
- February 1, 2005
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 742 total · 6 in this make and model · 4 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 8 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.97 inHg
- Observed at
- VNC